


the one I was meant to find

by SEMellark



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Insecurity, M/M, Mafia shenanigans, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Sawada Iemitsu's A+ Parenting, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-22 16:30:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22152307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SEMellark/pseuds/SEMellark
Summary: Yamamoto Takeshi walks up to Tsuna just after the first bell of the morning and thrusts a small bouquet of red and orange flowers in his face.
Relationships: Sawada Tsunayoshi/Yamamoto Takeshi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 516





	1. you're gonna wake up and see

**Author's Note:**

> Yamamoto and Tsuna's relationship means a lot to me no matter the capacity, so I've been playing around with a more romantic take on it.
> 
> Title from "Rewrite the Stars" by James Arthur & Anne-Marie, which is basically just the entire theme of this story /cries

Yamamoto Takeshi walks up to Tsuna just after the first bell of the morning and thrusts a small bouquet of red and orange flowers in his face.

Tsuna’s nose twitches, but he does his best not to sneeze. All eyes are on them, and the room smells of shock. Their homeroom teacher is equally stunned, doesn’t even bother to reprimand Yamamoto for disrupting class on top of showing up late.

Tsuna is dreaming. He must be. There’s no other explanation for why Yamamoto, his childhood friend who he hasn’t properly spoken to in years, opens his mouth and says, “Sawada Tsunayoshi, please allow me to court you.”

Someone chokes. Tsuna nods, dazed. “Sure.”

A dream, then.

* * *

It most definitely _was not_ a dream. Tsuna gets home that day and is immediately accosted by his mother, who descends on him smelling of sugar and butter. She pulls him into a hug before he even gets his shoes off. “Tsu-kun!” Nana squeals, directly into her son’s sensitive ears. “I heard from Tsuyoshi. Why didn’t you tell me you and Takeshi-kun were so close?”

Because they aren’t? The most Tsuna’s spoken to Yamamoto in recent years were during quiet thanks after the beta cut in during various bullying attempts. He’s always been aware of Yamamoto, of course, though mostly in the sense that they exist in different social circles. Yamamoto is the baseball team’s beloved second-year pitcher, set to become the ace once the third years graduate.

Everyone in the school loves him, while Tsuna is… tolerated, at best. They don’t exactly make a conventional match.

“It shocked me, too, Mom,” Tsuna says instead. “I don’t… what does it even mean to court someone? Isn’t it just dating or… ”

“Was that the word he used? He wants to court you?” Nana giggles, finally releasing her fierce hold on Tsuna. “That boy’s always been so adorable. Courting is just a little more old-fashioned way of putting it. Your father said the same thing, back in the day.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tsuna says, though he’s distracted and doesn’t quite register the tangent she launches into.

It doesn’t really hit him until later that night when he’s lying in bed unable to sleep. His phone buzzes once on the bedside table, illuminating the dark briefly before fading. Tsuna hesitates before shifting onto his side and reaching for it. No one really contacts him aside from Nana and Reborn, though he does get the occasional message from Iemitsu, which he always deletes without reading.

It’s Reborn, as it turns out. The text is as cryptic and ominous as usual: ‘Let the boy know he’ll be hearing from me soon.’

It’s the first time of many that Tsuna wonders if Yamamoto really understands what he’s done.

* * *

School is weird in the following weeks. No one so much as mentions Yamamoto and Tsuna’s new “relationship” to Tsuna’s face aside from Kyouko, who smiles warmly the morning after Yamamoto’s confession and tells him they make a cute couple.

She’s the only one aside from Yamamoto himself who doesn’t act like anything is weird about what happened. Yamamoto doesn’t really explain himself, and Tsuna doesn’t ask, just goes along with it when Yamamoto walks him to and from school, texts him to hang out on the weekends, invites him and Nana over to have dinner with him and Tsuyoshi.

He seems… happy, Tsuna thinks. The Yamamoto of his memories is always smiling, and that doesn’t necessarily change once they start dating. But something about those smiles registers as different to Tsuna, and while he can’t quite put his finger on it, it’s really the least of his worries.

Everyone who matters seems to be happy for him and Yamamoto. They aren’t worried or surprised, and it makes Tsuna feel like the odd man out.

That isn’t to say that Tsuna particularly _hates_ this new turn of events. Tsuna adjusts to having a… boyfriend? Partner? (Labels make Tsuna anxious, so he normally tries to avoid them.) _Yamamoto_. Tsuna adjusts to having a Yamamoto in his life after so long without him. Because Tsuna did have him before, years ago, back when they were children. Tsuna barely remembers that far back, so his impression of their childhood isn’t very strong.

They were only friends because of their parents, so it stood to reason that they would drift apart through the years. Tsuna had never really thought to mourn the loss of his only friend. He’d had so many other things to worry about at the time. Never in a million years had Tsuna considered that Yamamoto hadn’t actually forgotten about him – _him,_ Sawada Tsunayoshi, perpetually stuck at the bottom of the pecking order.

Now it seems as if Yamamoto hadn’t forgotten at all. And Tsuna just doesn’t understand it.

Their classmates, of course, seem to share in Tsuna’s bewilderment. Usually new relationships are anyone talks about, but theirs is a topic mostly left untouched, at least as much as Tsuna can tell. The bullying, at least, seems to subside, but that doesn’t mean his classmates have forgotten about him. They’ve just taken to whispering amongst themselves instead of directly to Tsuna’s face.

Tsuna doesn’t mean to overhear, but then, Tsuna doesn’t mean to do most things.

He’s in the bathroom having his daily freak-out session – which has increased to maybe twice a day in recent weeks – when he hears voices, growing closer and closer until the door opens. Tsuna holds his breath in the stall, drawing up his legs so they can’t see his sneakers. He sits huddled on the toilet’s lid, barely blinking, just waiting for the voices to go away.

“I don’t know, man,” someone says, and while Tsuna doesn’t recognize the voice, he can still catch the warm, earthy scent of other omegas. “Takeshi doesn’t say much when we ask. I can never tell what he’s thinking.”

“It’s probably just some joke he’s playing,” another one of the boys replies. “Remember when we hazed the first years? He’s surprisingly good at that kind of stuff.”

A joke, Tsuna realizes, keeping still as the boys laugh amongst themselves before heading into separate stalls. That has to be it, because nothing else has made sense.

It’s the only logical explanation that Tsuna’s been able to come up with, but even then, it doesn’t make him feel any better.

* * *

It takes Tsuna a while to build up the courage to try and confirm his suspicions. Being around Yamamoto isn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but Tsuna can’t say he’s ever completely at ease around him either. Yamamoto either doesn’t notice or chooses not to say anything, but one day at lunch, when Tsuna can’t bring himself to eat as he tries to work up the courage to speak, Yamamoto finally takes notice.

“You okay, Tsuna?” he asks around a mouthful of rice. He points his chopsticks at the bento in Tsuna’s lap. “You haven’t eaten at all. Is the smell off? Dad helped me make it, but I’m nowhere near as good as him yet.”

“No, it’s – I just – ” The concern in Yamamoto’s stare is starting to freak Tsuna out. He’s only making the situation worse than it really is by hesitating like he is, but the words refuse to leave his mouth. “I just… wanted to ask you something.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“Why me?” Tsuna asks. “I’m just a little confused.”

Yamamoto frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you ask me out?” Yamamoto’s eyes widen, and Tsuna looks away, too nervous to maintain eye contact. “I’m not, like… _you know._ I’m not that smart or fun to be around, I can barely hold a conversation with anyone, I’m just – ”

“Tsuna,” Yamamoto says, and Tsuna shuts up immediately. When he spares a glance at the beta, he can see that Yamamoto’s shoulders are drawn up and tense. His scent has also taken an odd turn, saturated with something Tsuna can’t identify. “I asked you out,” Yamamoto continues slowly, “because I like you.”

Tsuna waits, but Yamamoto doesn’t say anything more. “… That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Yamamoto frowns as soon as the words leave his mouth, and he shakes his head. “No, it’s more than that. I love you, Tsuna. I _had_ to ask you out, or I would’ve lost my mind.”

“Oh,” says Tsuna. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry.” Yamamoto sets his bento aside and shifts closer to Tsuna, who tracks his movement with his eyes, feeling dazed and confused. It takes him a moment to realize that his breathing has gone shallow, and his scent has spiked with something akin to distress. Yamamoto shifts enough so that Tsuna can feel his body heat but comes no closer, dark eyes wide and apologetic. “Please, don’t freak out. I know it hasn’t been long, but… I want to be honest with you.”

Tsuna lifts a hand to his chest and focuses on breathing. He’s not going to have a panic attack – he doesn’t think – but Yamamoto’s admission is _so much_ on top of everything else that’s been going on. Tsuna doesn’t know what to do with this information, can’t discern dream from reality, and he’s scared, so scared, of what Yamamoto loving him means.

“I don’t get it,” Tsuna says again, and he hates himself, hates that he could take someone’s confession and just ignore it, but he doesn’t know what else to do. “How could you possibly… ”

“Easily,” Yamamoto replies, and Tsuna’s eyes begin to tear up at the raw emotion in the other boy’s voice. Tsuna’s lost. He’s confused. The words are too good to be true, but still. He wants to believe _._ “You make it so _easy_ , Tsuna.”


	2. everything keeps us apart

The truth is hard for Tsuna to accept, but Yamamoto doesn’t push it. He acts as he always has, gently pulls Tsuna along when he becomes too lost in his own head, reaffirms his own truths and not the ones Tsuna’s anxiety makes up.

Slowly, Tsuna starts to become accustomed to his place at Yamamoto’s side. He goes to baseball games sometimes – only if Kyouko or Nana comes with him – and it’s fun, watching Yamamoto enjoy himself on the field. He’s a different person when he’s pitching, focused in a way he usually isn’t. He almost seems untouchable, leading the team to countless victories despite only being a second year.

Sometimes Yamamoto feels so far away in those moments, but his smile is always so wide afterward, when he comes to meet them after a victory smelling of dirt and sweat and sweeps Tsuna into a hug too warm to really enjoy in the summer heat. But Tsuna doesn’t protest and always waits for Yamamoto to pull away first, becoming slightly less conscious of the eyes on them as time goes on.

And it seems like there are _always_ eyes on them at baseball games, whether it be Yamamoto’s teammates as they struggle with the reality in front of them, or the parents of those teammates who can’t seem to resist good gossip.

“Takeshi-kun!” An older alpha woman is the first to approach them after Tsuna starts showing up at the baseball field. Tsuna doesn’t know who she is or why she’s interested; Yamamoto regards her with a distant politeness that Tsuna rarely sees on him, so he figures this kind of nosiness isn’t an odd occurrence. “You’ve been bringing this boy around a lot lately. Aren’t you going to introduce him?”

Tsuna wants to cower under her stare, but Yamamoto’s arm only tightens around his shoulders. When the omega glances up at him, Yamamoto’s detached look has morphed into one of such blatant fondness that even the older alpha blinks in surprise.

“This is my boyfriend, Tsuna,” Yamamoto says excitedly, and Tsuna feels warm all over.

* * *

It isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, no matter how much Yamamoto likes to pretend. Tsuna doesn’t think he means anything by refusing to talk about the troubling things surrounding their relationship: the baseball team’s persistent confusion, their classmates’ prolonged stares, the lack of any meaningful communication between them since Tsuna is too nervous to really open up about anything.

Yamamoto takes everything in stride, and while that’s one of the things Tsuna likes most about the beta, he wonders how much of it is forced.

He finds his answer three months after Yamamoto confesses to him. Tsuna’s at home, bedridden due to his recent heat. It hit earlier and stronger than any of his previous ones, mostly just leaving Tsuna drowsier and weaker than normal. He hasn’t seen Yamamoto in over four days, but they text often, and Yamamoto fills him in on what he’s missing in class, which admittedly isn’t much.

But Tsuna hasn’t heard much of anything from Yamamoto since the previous night. His boyfriend texted him good morning as he usually does, but all the meaningless, flippant little messages Yamamoto drops into their chat are nowhere to be seen. As much as Tsuna tells himself it’s probably nothing, his mind can’t help but race.

Has Yamamoto changed his mind now that they don’t see one another every day? Maybe he’s finally realized that having Tsuna around is more trouble than it’s worth. Tsuna wouldn’t necessarily blame him if that were the case, but the thought still makes Tsuna’s stomach hurt.

Around the time school ends for the day, Tsuna hears a knock on his bedroom door. He twists around in his bed, blinking blearily at the door as it creaks open. Nana pokes her head inside, and she smiles when she sees that Tsuna is awake. “Tsu-kun,” she says softly, “Takeshi-kun is here. Should I send him up?”

Tsuna doubts Nana would be asking if Yamamoto were an alpha, but since he’s a beta, the chances of things getting out of hand are slim to none. Tsuna can’t imagine what he looks like. He hasn’t had a proper shower in days, and he feels so hot and sweaty and gross overall. Tsuna doesn’t have the energy to really move, much less make himself presentable, but he’s not at all concerned about Yamamoto’s self-control. He doesn’t even make much of an attractive picture on a normal day.

“Sure,” he replies, pushing himself up against his pillows as Nana ducks back out of the room.

It feels like a matter of seconds before Yamamoto is coming into the room. He leaves the door slightly open, creating a long beam of light across the carpet, and he smiles when their eyes meet.

“Hey,” Yamamoto says softly, and all at once, Tsuna knows something is wrong. He isn’t sure what tips him off, if it’s Yamamoto’s tone or his scent or something else, but Tsuna _knows._ “How are you feeling?”

“Gross,” Tsuna replies, too tired to be anything but honest. He watches as Yamamoto grabs the chair from his desk and pulls it over to Tsuna’s bedside. “Sorry if I smell or anything.”

Yamamoto shakes his head, eyes landing everywhere but on Tsuna’s face as he settles back in the chair. “It’s… nice,” Yamamoto says before letting out a small, awkward laugh. “Sorry if that’s weird. I just like how you smell.”

On a normal day, Tsuna would probably blush and stutter his way into a different topic. As it is, he just blushes and leaves it at that. Yamamoto finally looks at him, then, eyes roaming over Tsuna’s face in a way that makes the omega want to pull his comforter over his head. “You okay?” he asks, hoping Yamamoto attributes the roughness of his voice to the heat.

“Yeah,” Yamamoto says haltingly. “Yeah, I just. Missed you.”

None of Yamamoto’s usual cheer is present in his expression. The beta isn’t exactly an open book, but Tsuna’s gotten pretty used to determining Yamamoto’s moods by his scent or tone of voice. All Tsuna can really sense now is… misery. It’s acute, not at all the type of sadness Tsuna picks up from himself on his worst days, but it feels wrong coming from Yamamoto.

“I miss you, too,” Tsuna replies, and Yamamoto blinks owlishly, like he wasn’t expecting Tsuna to reciprocate. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem… off.”

Yamamoto grimaces, leaning back in the chair as he rubs at the back of his neck. “I knew you’d probably notice,” he says, but the slight twitch of his lips is fond. “You’re so attuned to everything.”

“Thanks, it’s my anxiety,” says Tsuna, and Yamamoto huffs out a small laugh.

“School just… I don’t know, everything sucks when you’re not there,” Yamamoto explains, which wasn’t really what Tsuna had been expecting him to say. “I don’t really have anyone to talk to, and anyone who _does_ try to talk to me just… ” Yamamoto trails off, and his eyes seem to darken as he stares down at his hands, clasped together in his lap. His scent spikes briefly with anger, and Tsuna straightens against his pillows. “They say the dumbest shit. I almost wish everyone would just stop asking about us.”

“What do they say?” Tsuna asks, unsure if he even wants to know.

“It doesn’t matter,” Yamamoto says, so quickly Tsuna almost bursts into startled laughter. “Nothing anyone thinks about us matters.”

Tsuna hums, wishing he cared a little less about the thoughts and opinions of strangers.

“I just don’t get why everyone’s making a big deal out of it,” Yamamoto continues, and Tsuna holds his tongue, knowing full well that he was also one of those people. “Even the guys on the baseball team. It’s not like it’s any of their business.”

“They’re your friends,” Tsuna tries to say, but Yamamoto shakes his head.

“They aren’t,” he says fiercely. “Not if this is how they act when I’m actually happy for a change.”

Tsuna doesn’t know what to say, so he opts to keep quiet. Happiness and Yamamoto have almost always been synonymous in his mind. It never occurred to him that the same wasn’t true for Yamamoto himself.

But now that it’s right in front of him, Tsuna can see the strain Yamamoto’s experiencing, has probably _been_ experiencing. He isn’t impervious to their peers’ thinly veiled scorn; he’s just much better at hiding it than Tsuna.

And Tsuna feels awful for not noticing before. All this time, he thought he was alone in his discomfort and frustration, but he wasn’t and probably never had been.

Tsuna lifts his arms before he can think better of it. Yamamoto startles at the movement, glancing up at Tsuna with wide eyes. For a moment, they just stare at one another, until the omega in Tsuna begins to squirm and growl because it _hates_ being denied. “Hug me,” Tsuna huffs, and Yamamoto scrambles to do as he’s told.

He sits down in the small space between Tsuna’s legs and the edge of the bed and practically dumps himself into Tsuna’s arms. The beta is quick to tuck his face into the curve of Tsuna’s neck, where his scent is strongest, and Tsuna is filled with so much fondness it almost chokes him.

What it _does_ do is force a low purr out of Tsuna’s throat, and Yamamoto immediately goes boneless, leaving Tsuna to bear their weight. Tsuna handles this with as much grace as he’s able, barely freaking out as he leans back against his pillows and rubs a hand up and down Yamamoto’s back.

“I really like you, Tsuna,” Yamamoto says, voice slurred and muffled into Tsuna’s hot and sweaty skin. He hasn’t said the _other_ word since that first time, unwilling to set Tsuna off again, but Tsuna still knows, even if his insecurities raise their doubts.

“I really like you, too, Takeshi,” Tsuna whispers in reply, and for the first time, he isn’t scared by it.

* * *

Iemitsu comes home for the first time since Tsuna was little, and for some reason, Nana isn’t happy to see him.

Tsuna can smell his mother’s anger as soon as he steps into the house. It immediately puts him on edge, and he wishes he’d taken Yamamoto up on his offer to walk him home before baseball practice started.

“I’ll deal with it, Nana,” a voice says, and even if Tsuna doesn’t quite recognize it, a small, instinctual part of him does recognize the strange scent in the air. “I didn’t know – You never said – ”

“You should’ve already _dealt with it_!” Nana snaps, and Tsuna chokes down the whine that crawls up his throat in response to his mother’s anger. “No one gets to make decisions like that for my son, not you, not Timoteo - ”

“Mom?” Tsuna calls. Without even bothering to take his shoes off, he hurries from the doorway and steps around the corner into the living room. He finds his parents sitting at the table, and he barely spares Iemitsu a glance before his eyes settle on Nana, whose hands are clenched into fists on the table. Tears stream unabashedly down her face, but her expression is as fierce as Tsuna’s ever seen it. “What’s going on?”

“It’s okay, Tsu-kun,” Nana says, though her eyes never leave Iemitsu’s stricken face. “Everything’s okay.”

Nothing about this situation strikes Tsuna as okay. He’s never once seen his mother cry, especially not over Iemitsu. She only ever has kind things to say about him, even though he’s spent more time overseas than he ever has with them.

Nothing about what’s happening is normal, but Tsuna trusts his mother; if she says everything is fine, then he has no reason to doubt her.

That doesn’t mean he has to like it, however. When Iemitsu finally turns to regard him, Tsuna can’t help but avert his eyes with a frown. “Your mom tells me you’re being courted,” he says before Tsuna can excuse himself. He sounds like he’s being strangled, caught and pinned under his wife’s furious glare. “Tsuyoshi’s boy, huh?”

“His name is Takeshi,” Tsuna says, only slightly shocked by how cold his voice sounds. This is the first time he’s seen his father in years, and the man can’t even give him an actual greeting? “I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”

Iemitsu’s expression is complicated, like he wants to reprimand Tsuna for being disrespectful but won’t dare to while Nana is around. He just sits there instead, an alpha cowed into silence by his omega wife and son.

“Would you mind stepping out, Tsu-kun? Your dad and I have a lot to talk about,” Nana says at length. Her eyes soften when she finally turns to look at him, but Tsuna can tell she’s hurting. Iemitsu has done _something_ , and Tsuna doesn’t want to leave her side. But he can also tell that Nana doesn’t want him to see her like this, or to bear witness to whatever is about to happen. So, all Tsuna can really do is nod and quietly let himself out of the house.

Tsuna doesn’t have a plan in mind as he leaves his neighborhood. He just walks and walks, and before he knows it, he’s back at Namimori Middle, right by the baseball field. Tsuna freezes at the realization of where he’s ended up, and he hesitates as he watches the players out in the field, unsure of what to do now that he’s here.

“You’re Takeshi-kun’s boyfriend, aren’t you?” Tsuna jumps as a girl walks up to him from the other side of the chain-link fence. She’s one of the managers, Tsuna thinks, an omega third year with a pleasant smile and a low voice. “Did you need him for something?”

“Um, not really?” Tsuna replies, shifting his weight nervously. “I just… ”

The matter is taken out of Tsuna’s hands as a voice calls his name, and he and the manager both turn as Yamamoto jogs in from the outfield. “Hey,” Yamamoto says in a huff, slightly red in the face and panting. He runs a hand through his sweaty hair, pushing it out of his face before shooting Tsuna a wobbly grin. That, more than anything, confuses Tsuna, even more than the amused snort the manager gives at the sight. “I thought you went home for the day?”

Tsuna’s eyes dart to the manager briefly before fixing on Yamamoto again. He shrugs lamely, unsure of what to say. “I came back.”

Yamamoto’s brow crinkles, but Tsuna doesn’t have time to get in another word before the beta turns to his manager. “Tell Coach I’ll be back in a bit.”

The manager waves him off, even as Tsuna sputters, “Wait, Yamamoto-kun, you don’t have to – ”

But he’s already jogging away toward the gate, so Tsuna gives up. The manager shoots him a thumbs up before going back to the dugout, and Tsuna feels lost and tired as he waits for Yamamoto to get to him.

“So, what’s up?” Yamamoto asks before he’s even properly reached Tsuna. “Did you forget something?”

“My dad came home,” Tsuna blurts out before he can think better of it. Yamamoto blinks down at him, eyes wide. “He and my mom were fighting or… something. I didn’t know where else to go.”

Yamamoto frowns as he glances back toward the field before reaching over and grabbing Tsuna’s hand. Tsuna lets himself be led to the building where most of the sports clubs store their equipment. They pass about six doors before Yamamoto takes him into what can only be the clubroom for the baseball team.

The room isn’t well-kept, with spare balls and bats littering the floor along with bits and pieces of uniform clothing. The room smells strongly of alpha musk and sweat, but the heat of Yamamoto’s hand in Tsuna’s keeps him from becoming overwhelmed.

“Are you okay?” Yamamoto asks quietly, drawing him into a hug that Tsuna can’t help but melt into. This was probably what he’d wanted, when he wandered back to the school grounds in a daze. Tsuna can’t even bring himself to feel embarrassed. “I know your relationship with your dad is… complicated.”

Tsuna snorts. That was putting it mildly. “Mom was crying,” Tsuna says instead, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “She asked me to leave, but I still feel guilty for leaving her there.”

“Nana can handle herself,” Yamamoto says into Tsuna’s hair. “I’m more worried about Iemitsu, honestly.”

“It had something to do with me,” Tsuna murmurs into the fabric of Yamamoto’s practice jersey. “I don’t know what else could make Mom that angry.”

Yamamoto doesn’t say anything, probably just as at a loss as Tsuna is. But he doesn’t let go, even though he probably needs to get back to practice.

Tsuna resolves not to say anything. He’ll let himself be selfish, this time.

* * *

Iemitsu is gone when Tsuna goes downstairs the next morning. Instead, he finds Nana sitting with Reborn at the table, talking quietly over cups of coffee. “Okay, _what_ is going on?” Tsuna asks, still groggy and not entirely convinced he isn’t dreaming. “Uncle Reborn?”

“Hopped on the first flight as soon as I heard Iemitsu was making an ass of himself,” Reborn says mildly in lieu of a greeting. Unlike with Iemitsu, it doesn’t make Tsuna angry. “Come sit with us, we’ve got a lot to go over.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything, Tsuna,” Nana says, wrapping an arm around Tsuna’s shoulders as he sits down in the chair next to her. “Your dad and I had a long talk yesterday. Things will work out, I promise.”

_“What_ will work out?” Tsuna asks helplessly. “Mom? What’s going on?”

“First and foremost,” Reborn interjects, “let’s talk about stranger danger.”


	3. fate is pulling you miles away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to add another chapter because I forgot how long the last part actually was lol

Yamamoto is… reasonably upset when Tsuna tells him. He’s never seen or smelled such raw anger from Yamamoto before, and it takes nearly ten minutes of meticulous scenting and Tsuna’s purring to get him to calm down.

“That’s – _Tsuna_.” Yamamoto’s distress still sours the air on the rooftop, but at least he’s coherent enough to have a discussion. “You’re joking, right? This has to be a joke.”

“It’s not,” Tsuna says, calm only because he has to be, because Nana and Reborn said it would be alright, and he _has_ to believe them or he’ll go insane. “I know it’s hard to believe.”

“The _Italian mafia,_ Tsuna.” Yamamoto goes slightly pale as he says the words aloud, and Tsuna is quick to take his hand and entwine their fingers. “Your dad’s been apart of it this whole time? And he was just going to mate you off to one of them without even asking you?”

The whole thing sounds like a fantasy, or a sick joke. Tsuna never would’ve imagined his absent father to be some kind of mafia Don, but that’s exactly what he is. Or what he could have been, if Reborn is to be believed.

Tsuna doesn’t really want to think about most of the things Reborn told him. He’s appreciated the man’s honesty all his life, but Tsuna can’t recall anything worse than looking into his uncle’s eyes and listening to him talk about things like breeding potential and lines of succession. The fact that Tsuna’s own father had been okay with making a deal like that had awakened something dark and primal in Tsuna, something he’d never felt before in all his life.

It was tempered somewhat by the dark promise he saw in Reborn’s eyes, along with the quiet, righteous fury of Nana, but Tsuna doubted he would ever truly get over it.

The rest of the details didn’t really stick in Tsuna’s mind. It was way too much to absorb at once, but the one thing that Reborn and Nana made sure Tsuna paid attention to was his sudden role in all of this.

“Iemitsu went back to Italy to call the whole thing off,” Tsuna says, “but Reborn said things probably won’t go as smoothly as that. Apparently, my bloodline is… pretty valuable. Someone will come to take me to Italy if I don’t go myself.”

Yamamoto growls, eyes narrowing into slits. “That’s kidnapping. They can’t _force_ you to go to Italy and mate with someone against your will!”

 _This is the mafia we’re talking about,_ Tsuna screams mentally. _I think they can force anyone to do anything._

He reminds himself to take a deep breath, recalling what Nana and Reborn had told him, over and over again. “They’re going to protect me. Uncle Reborn is… he isn’t really part of the mafia himself, I guess, but he said I’m staying right here. I have to believe him, Takeshi.”

“So, what do we do? Just sit around and wait for someone to show up?”

“He said he’s sending for a bodyguard.” Tsuna shrugs helplessly at Yamamoto’s incredulous stare. “Someone who will come to school with me, or other places Reborn can’t go.”

“What, like someone our age? Who else would be able to just come to school with us?”

Tsuna shakes his head. Reborn hadn’t offered much information on the bodyguard front, and Tsuna hadn’t really thought to ask amidst everything else he’d wanted to know.

“What if they don’t give up?” Yamamoto asks, body suddenly stiff with nervous tension again. “How long are you gonna have to look over your shoulder, Tsuna?”

“I don’t know,” Tsuna says, offering his boyfriend a small smile that he hopes is reassuring. “I don’t really think I’m prime mate material for the next mafia boss. Maybe they’ll give up once they figure that out. But it’s just something I’ll have to deal with for now.”

Yamamoto looks like he’s about to go into another rant about Tsuna’s self-worth, and Tsuna’s prepared for it. But when the beta opens his mouth, what comes out is a simple, “We.”

“Huh?”

“It’s something _we_ have to deal with,” Yamamoto insists, and there’s something in his eyes that Tsuna doesn’t like. At all. “I don’t care what I have to do, they’re not taking you away from me.”

“Takeshi – ”

“I’m serious, Tsuna,” Yamamoto says, and that’s the worst part about all of this. “I can’t just – I won’t let something like that happen to you. I didn’t do anything for – for _years,_ and you were suffering, I know now that you were, I couldn’t live with myself if I did that again – ”

“We’re up against the mafia, don’t you get that?” cries Tsuna. “It’s not like when I was being bullied, you can’t protect me just by smiling and asking them to stop.”

Yamamoto flinches like Tsuna’s physically wounded him, but Tsuna can’t bring himself to feel regret. The thought of Yamamoto getting hurt makes Tsuna want to throw up. If someone comes for Tsuna, then let them come, but Yamamoto Takeshi can’t get caught up in whatever is about to happen.

If Tsuna were a better person, he’d end things with Yamamoto here and now. But he isn’t strong enough to look Yamamoto in the eye and break up with him, not after everything. And Tsuna wants to believe that things will be fine, that Reborn has things under control, and Tsuna doesn’t need to distance himself from the only person outside of his family who’s ever loved him.

“Don’t cry, Tsuna,” Yamamoto says wretchedly, drawing Tsuna’s attention to the warm wetness slipping down his cheeks. “I hate it when you cry.”

“I’m sorry,” Tsuna whimpers, but it’s just too much. All of it. The idea of leaving his home, of being separated from Nana and Yamamoto, of being forced to mate with some stranger and eventually _bear their children_ …

Yamamoto pulls him into his arms, and Tsuna doesn’t leave them for a long time.

* * *

Tsuna’s bodyguard is named Gokudera Hayato. He’s an omega like Tsuna, with platinum blond hair, dark brown eyes, and the fiercest scowl Tsuna’s ever seen.

Yamamoto seems to like him, even though Gokudera almost dislocated his shoulder the first time they met. “This just means he can protect you well,” he’d laughed even as he rubbed his arm – thank goodness it hadn’t been his pitching one – and beamed at the two of them. “I can sleep easy now.”

Gokudera is also twitchy like Tsuna, although he’s a lot better at hiding it. Nothing ever escapes his notice, even when it seems like he’s not paying attention. Tsuna’s math teacher learns this on the very first day when he calls Gokudera out to answer a complicated question just because he’s a jerk like that.

The Italian transfer student doesn’t hesitate before walking to the board and solving the equation faster than Tsuna thinks any of them could, and he practically throws the chalk at the teacher before stalking back to his desk. _“Cazzo,_ ” Gokudera says, and Tsuna spazzes in fear even though he’s likely the only one who understands what that means.

Nobody aside from Yamamoto has managed to surprise Tsuna as thoroughly as Gokudera. Barely a week into his stay, Hibari Kyouya himself comes to their classroom, scent unnervingly blank as usual. Tsuna’s long taught himself to remain calm around Hibari – the older alpha is strict and maybe a little scary, but he isn’t a bully – but he’s still startled when the prefect says, “Gokudera Hayato. Come with me.”

No one says a word as Gokudera gets up from his desk because they know better. Not even their teacher raises a voice in complaint, even though Hibari had unapologetically interrupted his lecture. Gokudera seems unconcerned as he follows Hibari out of the room, and maybe that’s because he just doesn’t know any better, but Tsuna suspects it’s something else.

Gokudera doesn’t return until later, sidling up next to Tsuna and Yamamoto as they stand at the shoe lockers after school. Tsuna’s used to always being on his guard, but Gokudera moves like a ghost, and Tsuna can’t help the startled yelp he emits when the Italian omega just _appears_ at his side.

“Where have you been?” Tsuna asks once he’s collected himself, trying to ignore how he’d practically leapt into Yamamoto’s arms in his fright. “You weren’t in trouble with Hibari-san, were you?”

“Of course not,” Gokudera scoffs, like the idea itself is laughable. “He wanted to talk about my security practices.”

Tsuna blinks in surprise. “He knows about all this?” Yamamoto asks.

Gokudera nods. “We couldn’t just start causing trouble in Namimori without talking to him first,” he replies, which just adds a whole other layer of mystery to the boy that is Hibari Kyouya. “He’s very knowledgable about these things. He even gave me a blueprint of the school.”

“That’s… surprisingly helpful,” Tsuna says carefully. “I didn’t know he cared so much.”

Gokudera looks at Tsuna oddly. “This is his territory,” he says, as if that explains everything. “He cares about everything in it.”

“That’s reassuring,” Yamamoto laughs, hands on his hips. “I always knew Hibari-san had to be a cool guy.”

Predictably, Gokudera shoots Yamamoto a look of contempt. He seems to hate when Yamamoto laughs, or when he’s just being loud in general. Tsuna can’t necessarily blame him – Yamamoto’s energy took him a while to get used to, too – but he wishes he could do something to smooth their relationship over. “Don’t you have practice, baseball idiot?” Gokudera demands.

Yamamoto shakes his head, eyes glinting with mischief and… something else. “Nope. I’m skipping today.”

“ _You?_ ” Tsuna gapes at his boyfriend. “What for?”

“Someone’s after you, Tsuna,” Yamamoto says, expression darkening with every word he speaks. Tsuna feels off-kilter at the sight, strangely pleased and worried in equal measure. “I can’t just forget about that. I wouldn’t be any use in practice anyway.”

“Like you’re any use to us?” Gokudera gripes, but Yamamoto just laughs and pats his shoulder good-naturedly.

* * *

For many weeks, Gokudera follows Tsuna everywhere: to school, the bathroom, even his dates with Yamamoto. They become a trio of sorts, to the point that Tsuna begins to wonder how things will change once the threat of being kidnapped goes away. Surely Gokudera won’t stay in Japan long, and the thought saddens Tsuna.

The Italian omega fits in well with the dynamic he and Yamamoto have going. He’s generally no nonsense, but Tsuna notices how his lips sometimes twitch when Yamamoto makes a dumb joke, or how his eyes sparkle when Nana fixes his coffee exactly the way he likes it.

At his core, Gokudera’s actually more tempered and methodical than he appears, and in that way, he’s almost easier to deal with than Yamamoto, who acts on impulse and thinks more with his heart. And they’re both _a lot_ more socially confident than Tsuna, though they have a certain aggressiveness to them that only Tsuna is capable of reigning in.

They fit well together, Tsuna thinks. If anything good has come out of this whole mafia mess, it’s definitely Gokudera Hayato’s introduction into their lives.

It’s almost terrifying, however, how easy it is to forget exactly why Gokudera’s with them. They don’t see hide or hair of Xanxus’ cronies, as Gokudera and Reborn lovingly call them, and Tsuna’s tried and true ability to compartmentalize anything that upsets him leaves him all the more vulnerable.

Almost a month to the day that Gokudera arrives, they somehow stumble into an ambush. Nothing about that day was normal, so Tsuna doesn’t know how an ambush was even possible. Tsuna usually gets home around four or so, but the baseball team had a practice match against another school, and he’d convinced Yamamoto to play despite his boyfriend’s protests.

Tsuna and Gokudera stay to watch the game, and afterward, Yamamoto joins them on their walk home. Gokudera insists that they take a different route home everyday so that no one can become familiar with their patterns, so they end up walking through the park.

Tsuna and Yamamoto hold hands while Gokudera walks a few paces behind them as he usually does. Tsuna still gets a certain thrill when he holds Yamamoto’s hand in public, and most of his energy is spent trying to keep from combusting. It takes him an embarrassingly long time to notice the park’s emptiness, how quiet it is when Tsuna knows this is the perfect playground for elementary school kids.

That’s what Tsuna notices first: the quiet. Not a child, not a bird, _nothing._ Tsuna barely has time to feel uneasy.

It all happens quickly after that. Yamamoto’s warmth is ripped from Tsuna’s hand, and the startled omega yelps as he’s slammed into from behind. He and the weight against his back fall to the sidewalk in a heap, Tsuna barely managing to avoid landing flat on his face and busting his nose.

A loud, rumbling growl sounds from behind him, and Tsuna begins to struggle as he recognizes it as _Yamamoto’s_ growl. But no matter how hard he fights, Tsuna can’t get free. “Stay down,” Gokudera’s voice hisses from above him.

Tsuna manages to crane his neck around slightly, but the only thing he manages to catch a glimpse of is Yamamoto’s discarded baseball bag on the grass. Panic, abrupt and chilling, courses through Tsuna, and he whines in raw, omegan fear, scrabbling at the concrete in a renewed effort to free himself. “Takeshi!” he cries, and the growling only persists as the sounds of a scuffle reach Tsuna’s pounding ears.

There’s a swishing sound, sharp in the quiet of the early evening, followed by a dull impact. Something hard hits the ground, and a dark object skids across the concrete beside Tsuna, whose eyes widen when it stops and he realizes it’s a _gun._ Gokudera reacts immediately, arm shooting out to grab the discarded weapon while still keeping Tsuna pinned. Once he has a hold on it, Gokudera whips around, and Tsuna hears a small pop, followed by a howl of pain.

Heavy boots sound against the concrete, the sounds fading as if someone is running away, and soon all Tsuna can hear are the sounds of Yamamoto’s and Gokudera’s panting. Slowly, Gokudera eases up, and Tsuna pushes himself up before turning to inspect the damage with fear clogging his throat.

But the thing is… there is no damage. Not really. There’s a blood trail leading down the path, but Yamamoto and Gokudera don’t seem concerned anymore. Yamamoto looks disheveled, but he’s smiling as he stares down at Tsuna, looking entirely too pleased with himself considering that –

“That’s _not_ a baseball bat!” Tsuna shrieks.

“So, you’re not entirely useless,” Gokudera says, dipping his head slightly in approval as he inspects the gun in his hands. “Eh, at least he was kind enough to equip a silencer,” he adds, almost under his breath.

Yamamoto grins, tapping the blunt end of his _very real sword_ against his shoulder. “Tsuna’s precious to me. Of course I’m gonna do what I can to protect him.”

Yamamoto and Gokudera are crazy, the worst, and they’re going to kill Tsuna one day. And Tsuna’s so angry that they were put in danger, but his relief that they’re okay tempers that somewhat.

Tsuna loves them _so much_ , and while he may kind of despise them in this moment for their stupid bravery, he’ll save his righteous fury for the person who most deserves it.

* * *

Thankfully, that’s the only run-in they have with mafia personnel. Four days go by before Reborn tells him they’re in the clear. “Xanxus is easy to manipulate,” the older alpha explains. “Present him with something he thinks he wants more, and he’ll move on at the drop of a hat.”

“Should I be concerned?” asks Tsuna. He doesn’t really know how to feel about it. He’d honestly expected _more,_ maybe a whole platoon of men in dark suits and sunglasses brandishing guns and tranquilizer darts.

“Don’t worry about it, his new flame is more than willing to receive his Bite.” Reborn rolls his eyes. “Trust me. He’ll never even think about you again.”

Yamamoto overreacts to the news, Tsuna thinks. He swoops Tsuna up in his arms and spins him around until they’re both dizzy. But Yamamoto is _happy_ , he’s laughing, and Tsuna gets caught up in that, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt.

“You two are… disgusting,” Gokudera says, but he doesn’t sound all that upset as he watches Yamamoto plant kisses all over Tsuna’s face. “I’m glad everything worked out.”

“It’s thanks to you,” Tsuna says as he shoves Yamamoto’s face away. “I probably would’ve died of stress without you around, and then where would we be?”

“Depressed,” Yamamoto says just as Gokudera replies, “Prison, most likely.”

Tsuna shakes his head, exasperated. He can’t even begin to guess what’s going through their heads and doesn’t want to try.

“So, what now?” Yamamoto asks, reigning in his affection but still keeping hold of Tsuna’s hand. They’re in the Sawada’s living room, waiting for Nana and Reborn to finish with dinner in the kitchen. The two of them sit down on the couch next to Gokudera now that Yamamoto’s celebration has ended, and Tsuna feels like he can truly relax for the first time in almost two months. “Are you gonna stick around, Gokudera?”

“I don’t see why I should,” Gokudera replies evenly, eyes fixed on the television. His right leg bounces in muted thuds against the carpet. “Xanxus’ attention is elsewhere, and now everyone else knows that Tsuna’s off limits. My services are no longer needed.”

“Is this just what you do?” Yamamoto asks, giving voice to the thoughts in Tsuna’s own head. “You hop around from client to client until they’re safe?”

“Not really,” Gokudera says. “This was a… special case.”

Tsuna and Yamamoto share a long look. “Well,” Tsuna begins, because he’s gotten a feel for Gokudera over what’s probably been the longest two months of his life, and direct communication seems the safest route to the other omega’s emotions, “we’re gonna miss you, Gokudera-kun. You can always come visit. We can go to the movies again.”

Gokudera finally glances over at that, eyes dark and unreadable. He’s silent for a long moment, and all is quiet except for the quiet noise of the television and Nana and Reborn moving around in the kitchen. “I’ve killed people, you know,” he says, voice flat and toneless. He watches them carefully, and Tsuna sees a quiet fear there, fear of their reactions, their rejection. “This may be a one-off for you two, but it’s my life. I can’t just waste my time at the movies.”

It’s sad, Tsuna thinks, that Gokudera seems to think that’ll be enough to scare them off. As if Yamamoto hadn’t taken to carrying around an actual sword to protect Tsuna with, as if Tsuna hadn’t become resigned to that fact way too easily.

“I mean, can’t you do both?” asks Yamamoto before Tsuna can think of something comforting to say. “All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy, or whatever?”

“It’s _Jack_ , you fucking imbecile,” Gokudera says, outraged, while Tsuna bursts into laughter.

This is just his normal, now. Tsuna’s pretty okay with it.


	4. but you're here in my heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end, everyone. Thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me, and I'll see you in the next one!
> 
> Warnings: Brief mentions of suicidal thoughts/intentions

Gokudera and Reborn leave a few days later with little fanfare. Gokudera gives Tsuna a lingering hug, smelling of sadness, and completely sidesteps Yamamoto when he tries to do the same. “Work on your sword handling,” he says instead. “The next time I visit, I’d better not see you holding that thing like a damn baseball bat.”

“You got it, Boss,” Yamamoto replies, offering Gokudera a firm salute that makes the Italian omega roll his eyes, though Tsuna can see how his eyes seem to _shine._ “I won’t disappoint.”

“We’ll miss you, Hayato-kun,” Nana says, dabbing at her eyes with the end of her apron. She’s been emotional about nearly everything lately, though Tsuna doesn’t blame her. Their quiet life experienced an upheaval of massive proportions, and it’s been a lot to process. “Thank you for everything you did for Tsu-kun. You’re like family now, you’ll always be welcome here.”

Reborn claps a hand on Gokudera’s shoulder, grinning as the blond omega blushes under Nana’s attention. “Careful. Butter him up too much, and he’ll never leave.”

“I _have_ to go back,” Gokudera grumbles. It’s something he’s been saying a lot lately, like he’s trying to convince himself. Tsuna now knows Gokudera would probably stay if he could, but there are things in Italy that need his attention. “If nothing else, I need to punch Xanxus in the face before he officially becomes the Tenth.”

Tsuna winces. “ _Please_ , do not do that,” he implores. “You can’t make enemies with the Vongola leader.”

“Like I care,” Gokudera retorts. “He’s no Boss of mine. As if he could ever hold a candle to you.”

“He wouldn’t touch anyone in your Pack anyway, Tsuna,” Reborn adds casually. “He knows now that I’d put a bullet between his eyes if he even tried.”

There are entirely too many layers behind those statements, but all Tsuna can do is say, mournfully, “Why are you guys like this?”

* * *

For all that Tsuna appreciates the return to normalcy, the quiet is hard to deal with.

It feels odd to just go back to his daily life. Tsuna finds that he has to force himself to pay attention even more than before, is too often distracted by thoughts of Gokudera, Reborn, even Iemitsu. The life they lead is so far removed from what Tsuna knows, yet they’re all intrinsic parts of who he is, for better or worse.

There’s so much Tsuna doesn’t know about what happened, and based on how much Reborn and Iemitsu love to keep secrets – Tsuna may be able to wear Gokudera down over time – he might never know. He finds it hard to believe Xanxus gave up after Yamamoto and Gokudera thrashed one of his men, but then, Tsuna doesn’t really know Xanxus at all.

Nonetheless, Tsuna trusts Reborn and Gokudera to have his back, and he trusts that Iemitsu doesn’t want to upset Nana again. Hopefully this is the end of their problems, but even if it isn’t, Tsuna somehow knows that everything will work out fine.

But in every class, without fail, Tsuna stares at the back of Yamamoto’s head, the slope of his shoulders, and wonders if he’s the only one feeling this way.

His boyfriend hasn’t really been himself since Reborn and Gokudera left. He’s quieter, definitely, and despite his attempts to pretend otherwise, Tsuna knows he still carries the sword in his baseball bag.

Tsuna never expected Yamamoto to just get over such a high intensity, anxiety-inducing situation overnight, but sometimes, he feels like he’s coping better than Yamamoto. He wants to talk about it, but he supposes that Yamamoto just needs time. And after everything he’s done for him, Tsuna’s more than willing to give him that. He decides to let Yamamoto set the pace, and eventually, Tsuna’s patience pays off.

One day, nearly two weeks after Reborn and Gokudera left, Yamamoto asks Tsuna to meet him on the roof after baseball practice. Tsuna has some reservations about it, mostly because he isn’t sure Hibari will like them being on the roof after school hours are over, but Yamamoto seems strangely confident that the alpha won’t care.

So, Tsuna goes straight to the roof after school ends for the day. He does homework while he waits and listens to the distant sounds coming from the baseball field. The sky is just starting to turn orange when Tsuna hears the door creaking open, and he lifts his head and smiles as Yamamoto appears.

“Hey,” he greets the beta. Yamamoto is freshly showered, smelling of citrus and his pine deodorant as he walks over to Tsuna. “How was practice?”

“Long,” Yamamoto sighs, dropping his back on the concrete next to Tsuna. “Coach doesn’t think we’re ready for our next game, but I’m not sure how we could be _more_ ready.”

“You guys won your last game by seven runs,” Tsuna points out as he puts his study materials back into his bag. “I think you’re fine. But I don’t know much about baseball, so… ”

“You know enough,” Yamamoto says. He’s always weirdly touched when Tsuna displays even minimal knowledge or interest in baseball, but today he seems muted. He watches Tsuna’s movements with half-lidded eyes, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He doesn’t sit down beside Tsuna. “So… what I wanted to talk about… ”

Tsuna feels weird as he stares up at Yamamoto from his spot on the ground, but he also feels as if standing up with him would be even weirder. So he opts to stay where he is, clasping his hands around his ankles as he waits for Yamamoto to speak.

“Do you remember,” Yamamoto says eventually, voice strangely hoarse, “when I broke my arm?”

Tsuna glances off to the side, head quirked in thought. “When we were thirteen?” he asks. “You hurt it during a practice game, right?”

Yamamoto nods, mouth set in a firm line. It’s then that the wind shifts, bearing down on Tsuna so strongly he has to squint his eyes against the sting. But they widen almost immediately, when Tsuna catches a whiff of Yamamoto’s scent. “Takeshi, what – ”

“That was a really tough time for me,” Yamamoto says, steamrolling over whatever Tsuna might have said in a way that he normally doesn’t. He’s one of the few who actually listens when Tsuna talks, soaking in every word. But not today. “Well… _before_ that, even. I was… I wasn’t happy. Before this year, I don’t think I’ve ever really been happy since my mom died.”

Tsuna doesn’t remember his boyfriend’s mother, can’t even seem to recall a name for her. Tsuyoshi and Nana never speak of her, and she hasn’t come up thus far in their relationship. Tsuna can’t imagine why Yamamoto would bring her up now, though he has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“But those months when I couldn’t play baseball? Those were the worst.” Yamamoto’s hands ball up into fists at his sides, and Tsuna stares at them, wants to take Yamamoto’s rough hands into his, but he doesn’t dare move. “Dad had to force me out of bed every morning. It got so much harder to do even the littlest things, and I felt like… like maybe I didn’t want to live anymore.”

Tsuna flinches like Yamamoto tried to hit him. They had been thirteen. They were _thirteen,_ and Yamamoto had felt like that?

“I went to school one morning, and I was gonna go up to the roof instead of class,” Yamamoto admits before Tsuna can say anything. “The bell rang, and the halls were deserted, so I thought that was as good a time as any. But I ran into you in the stairwell, because you were late, of course, and you stopped to talk to me.”

Tsuna has a vague memory of something to this effect, though he hasn’t once thought of it in the two years since it happened. He remembers rushing to get to class, taking the steps two at a time. He remembers barely avoiding running into the beta on the stairs, remembers panicking at the thought that he could’ve made his injury worse.

“You kept saying sorry for almost crashing into me.” Yamamoto huffs out a laugh. “And you asked how I was feeling, said I looked tired. That was the first time I’d looked you in the eye in _years,_ I think. And it made me remember…”

“What?” Tsuna croaks out.

“I had a crush on you when we were little,” Yamamoto admits, mouth quirking in a morose, half grin when Tsuna makes a strangled noise in response. “Mom called it puppy love. We grew apart, though, around the time she died, and I never really thought about it again. I _couldn’t._ I didn’t think… You weren’t something I deserved. Everything I tried to do just broke into pieces in my hands. There was no way you could love someone like me.”

“Someone like you,” Tsuna echoes faintly. As if Yamamoto isn’t the best thing in Tsuna’s life. As if he isn’t _everything_ to him _._

“But that day, when you stopped me in the stairwell, I remembered,” Yamamoto continues, finally averting his eyes now that Tsuna can’t seem to stop staring at him. “I remembered how it felt to love you. And I thought about how sad you would be if I… died like that, even if we weren’t really friends at the time. I couldn’t go through with it after that.”

Tsuna’s eyes burn, though he can’t seem to cry. This is more than he was expecting – more than he _ever_ could have expected – and the grief that claws at his throat threatens to suffocate him. He’d never known Yamamoto felt this way, that he even _could_ feel like this.

And how ridiculous is that? Yamamoto has always been more than what people thought of him. He was never that oblivious, good-natured beta who sported a constant smile and only thought about baseball, though those are small aspects of who he is.

Yamamoto Takeshi is the kind of person who pushes when he has to but knows when to just let things be. He knows when Tsuna’s sad and needs a hug yet has reservations when _he’s_ the one in need of comforting. He sees an injustice and can’t help but step in. He senses a threat and does what he can to eliminate it.

He’s the kind of person who brings flowers to the boy he likes. And everyone judged him for it. Even Tsuna.

“I would’ve said something that day,” Yamamoto continues, “but I couldn’t push my problems onto you. I wanted to be better, and it may have taken two years, but I learned how to be someone who wasn’t just… _sad_ all the time. So, I wanted to thank you.” He looks at Tsuna again, similar to how he had when he told Tsuna he loved him for the first time. Tsuna doesn’t know how he could’ve possibly been afraid back then. “You never knew it, but I’m alive because of you.”

Tsuna takes a breath. Opens his mouth.

Nothing comes.

Yamamoto panics. He sees whatever is in Tsuna’s expression and begins to backpedal, and it tears at Tsuna in every possible way. “I wouldn’t have done anything if you’d rejected me back then,” the beta says quickly, holding his hands up in a placating manner. “I’m not trying to guilt you into staying with me either. I’d be fine if we broke up! Well, not _fine,_ but I could get over it, eventually. I’m sorry for upsetting you, I just wanted to – ”

“I love you.”

Yamamoto freezes. His lips part in a shaky, wheezing exhale, and he looks more terrified than Tsuna’s ever seen him. He doesn’t say a word.

Tsuna pushes on, finally clambering to his feet. “I didn’t understand when you said you wanted to court me. I thought I was dreaming, or someone was playing a joke on me, but underneath it all, I really was happy. I just couldn’t let myself feel that way when I wasn’t sure what was going on.”

True to form, Yamamoto’s eyes seem to glaze over with sadness. He’s always hated when Tsuna talks like this. Tsuna understands how he feels now. “Every day with you was too good to be true,” Tsuna says. “I felt like I was taking something that had no business being mine. And that wasn’t fair to you. You never did anything to make me doubt you, but I did it anyway. You made your intentions perfectly clear, and I just kept ignoring you.”

“Courtships lead to forever,” Yamamoto says quietly, almost under his breath. “My mom told me that.”

“That’s – That’s fine, that’s _more_ than fine,” Tsuna breathes, because he’d wondered over the wording of Yamamoto’s confession for so long, but he’d never dared hope… “I’m glad you told me all of this, okay? I don’t want you to hide yourself from me. The baseball player? The guy who fought the _mafia_ for me? I love them both. I know the kind of person you are.”

Yamamoto’s expression pinches like he might start crying. And he does just that a few moments later, shoulders hitching as the sobs start to take over. “Can you say it again?”

“I love you, Takeshi,” Tsuna says. He doesn’t know where the strength in his voice comes from, even as he takes a step forward. “I love you, I do – ”

He only stumbles a little when Yamamoto crashes into him. It’s desperate, more careless than any move Yamamoto’s ever made towards him, and Tsuna’s nose and chin throb from the impact. Yamamoto isn’t necessarily small, but he feels fragile as Tsuna slides his hands up his back. He shakes like he’s cold, but he’s warm all over, just like always.

Like during his heat, Tsuna starts purring before he can even think. His whole body vibrates with the force of it, though it seems to have the reverse effect of only making Yamamoto cry harder. But Tsuna isn’t embarrassed. He doesn’t beat himself up over failing to comfort his boyfriend.

He just holds Yamamoto and lets him cry like he should’ve done so many times before.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi walks into class just after the first bell of the morning with a small bouquet of white and blue flowers in his hands.

This in itself is nothing unusual. It’s become a normal sight over the course of the school year. Hardly anyone bats an eye anymore, and the teachers don’t dare complain, lest they receive a surprise visit from Hibari Kyouya, who Tsuna has noticed has taken a rather recent and odd interest in him. He can’t say he doesn’t have an idea as to why, though he’s much too nervous to ask outright.

Still, all eyes are on the omega as he walks over to Yamamoto’s desk and presents the bouquet to him.

“Takeshi,” Tsuna says with a smile far too wide for all the attention he’s attracting.

Yamamoto smiles, and it’s a small and precious thing. His brown eyes are hooded and fond, warming Tsuna from the inside out without the beta even saying a word.

No misguided father or mafia don can rattle him, Tsuna thinks, so long as Yamamoto always looks at him like that.


End file.
